


So This is Christmas

by elem (elem44)



Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-17
Updated: 2016-12-17
Packaged: 2018-09-09 06:56:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,392
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8880265
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elem44/pseuds/elem
Summary: Post Endgame Christmas story.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Happy birthday Kate 04 (2008) and Merry Christmas to all the Vambies.

The doorbell rang and, from her place curled up in a comfortable chair by the fire, Kathryn looked towards the kitchen. The clatter of pots and pans meant that Gretchen was busy and that she would have to get up to answer the door.

It was Christmas day and she couldn’t have felt less festive if she’d tried. Ebenezer Scrooge couldn’t hold a candle to an earthbound Kathryn Janeway; he looked like jolly St Nick compared to her morose and gloomy self.

The doorbell rang again, louder and for twice as long. Her mother called from the kitchen. _“Can you get that, Kathryn?”_

The trigger-happy doorbell enthusiast was no doubt some nosy neighbour dropping by with another unwanted plate of inedible mince pies, fruitcake or rumballs, or perhaps another troupe of tone-deaf carollers – they’d tolerated their share of those. God forbid it was some mealy-mouthed press hack looking for a heart-warming Voyager Christmas story.

Kathryn was tempted to grab her phaser to deal with any or all contenders. The thought of vaporising some hapless bringer-of-good-tidings cheered her briefly, however, she resisted the temptation and, scowling her very best bah-humbug glower, Kathryn hauled herself out of her chair, padded to the door and pulled it open.

Her jaw dropped, she was speechless.

Tom, B’Elanna and Harry’s beaming faces met her astonished gaze.

“Captain. It’s great to see you. Thanks for the invitation; we were so excited to hear from you.” Tom grinned, and then spoke to the bundle tucked into the crook of his arm. “Look Miral, it’s Aunty Kathryn and I know she can’t wait for a cuddle with her favourite goddaughter.” With that, Tom thrust the baby into Kathryn’s arms and, still smiling, kissed her cheek as he bowled through the door. B’Elanna, still uncharacteristically subdued thanks to the sleep deprivation of newly minted motherhood, hugged Kathryn and said serenely that it was good to see her. Kathryn stared after only to be brought back to reality by Harry, who, unsure of what he should do, blushed a bright Christmassy red, pecked her on the cheek, and gave her a sort of half-nelson hug, being careful not to squash Miral.

Kathryn still hadn’t said anything and, after checking the front porch for stragglers, closed the door to follow the three cheerful gatecrashers into the living room. “What are you all doing here?”

“Huh? You invited us for Christmas lunch, don’t you remember? Merry Christmas, by the way.” Tom pulled a brightly wrapped package from the large baby bag he was carrying. “This is from the four of us.” He handed the parcel to Kathryn, who was left juggling it and the baby until she finally put the parcel on the table and smiled a thank you to the three grinning people across the room.

Opening her mouth, Kathryn was about to reiterate the fact that she hadn’t invited them to Christmas lunch, when the doorbell chimed again. In two minds as to whether she should give Miral back to B’Elanna or carry her to the door, she finished up doing this odd sort of back and forth dance next to the coffee table. Irritated by her own indecisiveness, she shook her head, harrumphed, then nestled the baby closer and walked out of the room to answer the door.

Taking a deep breath, she pulled it open again.

The Doctor was standing there, smiling happily. He was wearing an ill-fitting tweed suit, replete with elbow patches and leather trim. Kathryn marvelled at his ability to program something so ugly when the dire looking deerstalker hat that he was wearing – with the flaps down – caught her attention. For a moment she wondered if he was in fancy dress but then surmised that this was his version of a ‘country physician’ and tried her best not to groan or laugh.

“Captain!” His eyes immediately clapped onto Miral. “Oh, the others are here, I see. I was hoping to be the first but Starfleet were reluctant to give me my mobile emitter – they think I’m going to run amok or something, and then the transporters were crowded – holiday revellers.” He gave her a harried smile and an awkward hug as he tried to avoid damaging the baby or the enormous parcel he had under his arm.

“This is for you. It’s chocolates.” Kathryn decided his gift giving subroutines could do with some tweaking as he unceremoniously dumped the parcel on the floor and nodded towards the living area. “Are the others through here?”

“Yes, they are. Go on in. I’ll be back in a moment.”

Kathryn pointed the way with her free hand and waited until she heard the sound of happy greetings before she headed towards the kitchen. Pushing open the door, Kathryn glared at her mother. Gretchen was over by the stove stirring something that smelled delicious but, refusing to be diverted from her mission, Kathryn growled, “Mother! What have you done? And _why_?”

Gretchen turned towards her eldest daughter and, with a passably innocent look, inquired. “What do you mean, dear? Oh, look, you have Miral. Isn’t she beautiful? No wonder Owen is so proud.” Putting down the spoon and taking the pan off the heat, Gretchen moved to Kathryn’s side and peered at the baby in her arms.

It was also the first time that Kathryn had taken a proper look at her goddaughter and couldn’t help smiling at the sweet-faced infant nestled in the crook of her arm. Miral was fast asleep, despite being dumped into Kathryn’s arms and then carted all around the house. “She is beautiful, there’s no doubt about it.” Kathryn looked up at her mother and smiled, having forgotten momentarily why she was there. Then it all came back to her and she frowned. “What are half my senior staff doing here? Contrary to what Tom says, I did _not_ invite them.”

“Only half? Tsk, the others must be running late.” Gretchen frowned and hurried back to the stove.

“Mother! What did you do?” Kathryn gasped. “Running late!? Who else is coming?” Already knowing the answer, Kathryn’s heart descended into her boots and she reeled at the awful thought. “Oh you didn’t!! Mom, how could you?!”

Oh God! If she had to greet and socialise with Chakotay and Seven, pretending it wasn’t breaking her heart that they were together, she was well within her rights to commit matricide and damn the consequences. This was too much.

She was a Starfleet captain, for god’s sake and she’d been her own master for seven years but after being home for only three days, her life was completely out of her control. Her mother was calling the shots and Kathryn felt like she was eleven again. This wasn’t exactly what she’d had in mind for her homecoming. It was nothing like she imagined.

They’d come hurtling through the collapsing conduits, burst from the innards of the Borg Sphere into the waiting arms of Starfleet and, from that moment onwards, her life had become a chaotic mess. Voyager landed, the crew disembarked, security had swarmed over her ship and she wasn’t allowed near it. While she was busy worrying about Voyager, the crew had dispersed with family and friends and by the time she’d turned around to say goodbye, everyone had gone. Then her mother arrived, scooped her up and transported her to Indiana where she’d been for the last couple of days desperately trying to come to terms with this new reality. She was a wreck and it wasn’t working out at all.

What she needed was time. Time to get used to being home. Time to become accustomed to being separated from her ship and crew. Time to harden her heart to the idea of Chakotay and Seven as a couple. But instead, her mother had taken matters into her own hands and in a mass ambush, the embodiment of all her regrets were, one after the other, traipsing through the front door. They were arriving too fast for her to gain any sort of purchase or hand hold to battle the onslaught. She feared she’d be dragged under the tumbling waves of emotion she was experiencing in the company of all these dear people. Difficult as it was to admit, she was losing control and it sucked.

“I beg your pardon, dear. What did you say?”

Kathryn’s lips formed a thin line of disapproval. She must have spoken aloud but wished she could have bellowed it to the world. Her life sucked; it sucked, big time.

She thought her existence had been difficult in the Delta Quadrant but looking at it from this perspective, apart from a few less than stellar moments, nothing had been anywhere near as ghastly as life had become since her homecoming. She’d had expectations. It was supposed to have been all joy and happiness; she certainly hadn’t expected to feel this empty or lost.

Gretchen took her arm and escorted her towards the doorway that led back into the living area. “Kathryn, stop being so overly dramatic. You’re home, you’re safe. Go. Enjoy your time with your friends and try to relax. It will all be all right. Just wait and see. Life has a way of working itself out. Trust me.” With a gentle shove from her mother, Kathryn found herself back in the room with Tom, B’Elanna, Harry and the Doctor. They were all still smiling at her and she wondered if they’d suffered some sort of mind melt down. Why the hell were they so happy?

Miral started to mewl and wriggle in her arms and without really thinking about what she was doing, she lifted the baby higher and patted her back until she settled. Tom grinned then looked towards the drinks cabinet. “May I do the honours, Captain? Seeing you have your hands full.”

She blinked once and then realised what he was talking about – alcohol. What a wonderful idea. “Yes, please, Tom. I’m sorry. I’m not being a very good host. It’s just that I wasn’t expect…” she didn’t get a chance to finish her sentence, the front door chimed again.

A bubble of panic began to expand inside her and her eyes darted towards B’Elanna hoping for some womanly support but her chief engineer was too busy trying to choose between brandy, whisky or rum to be aware of Kathryn’s dilemma. It was very tempting to stomp over, snatch the bottle of whatever liquor Tom was brandishing and slug down a couple of hearty gulps before she made her third trek to the front door. The newest arrivals had to be Seven and Chakotay. They were the only ones missing and this particular reunion was one that Kathryn was dreading.

No one seemed to be at all aware of her disgruntled state, so she looked down at the serene face of Miral and took strength from that. Girding her loins as best she could, she stood tall and walked steadily towards the front door. She didn’t notice the silence from those she’d left behind in the living area or the intense stares that followed her to the doorway. They were all holding their breath.

The chime rang again just as she got to the door, making her jump and she reacted by yanking it open and barking, “What?!”

It was Seven. Looking calm and in control. Damn her.

“Captain. I am very pleased to see you. I understand the salutation of Merry Christmas is appropriate and thank you for inviting me to your luncheon.”

“ _I_ didn’t invite any…”

“Hello, dear. I’m so pleased you could come.” It was Gretchen manoeuvring herself in front of Kathryn to greet Seven. The older Janeway took the young Borg woman’s arm and escorted her into the living area where everyone else was gathered. Kathryn heaved a deep sigh looking out the door at the acres of open fields covered in snow. She glanced once more towards the living area and then hit the environmental shields for the front porch, effectively sealing it off from the outside weather and stepped out the door. With Miral still snug in her arms, she moved to the far end of the veranda and sat on the porch swing to watch the world go by.

Not that there was much to see. It was too cold for it to snow but the sun was shining and glinting cheerfully off the soft vanilla-iced world around the house. In the distance, towards Bloomington proper, she could see the odd shuttlecraft dart across the horizon but for the most part the world was still and quiet. It was peaceful.

“Hello.”

Kathryn jumped and turned. “Chakotay!? What the hell are you doing sneaking up on me like that? You’ll get yourself shot one day.” He was standing at ground level right beside her left shoulder, his face peering over the banister. His smile was disarming and she shuffled away from him. “You and your damned stealth mode.”

He laughed and moved towards the front steps. The forcefield fizzled slightly as he passed through it, then he shrugged out of his jacket and draped it over his arm. The temperature on the porch was the same ambient temperature as inside the house, thanks to the shielding.

Pointing to the other half of the porch swing, he asked quietly. “Is that seat taken?”

Kathryn gave him a dour look and shook her head. “But who knows who else is going to turn up? If someone lays claim, you’ll have to move.”

He plonked himself down beside her. “I’ll take that as a no.”

“Take it however you like.”

“Merry Christmas to you too. Been practicing your Scrooge impersonations I see.”

She gave him a startled look. “How did you…?” Then she shook her head; his ability to read her mind was too weird to contemplate. She apologised instead. “Sorry. Merry Christmas.” Under the pretence of making Miral more comfortable, Kathryn slid a little further away from him. His knee was precariously close to hers and she didn’t know if she could bear it if they touched. Her brittle protective shell might just shatter, exposing her heartbreak and she couldn’t risk that.

Chakotay turned towards her and Kathryn had this overwhelming urge to flee. What the hell was wrong with her? She couldn’t go anywhere, not with a baby in her arms and a house full of guests – which reminded her that she still had to get a straight answer from her mother as to what was going on. Things were getting seriously out of sorts.

Chakotay rested his hand gently on her shoulder and looked at her with those damned soulful eyes. “Are you all right, Kathryn? You seem a bit stressed.”

For the first time in her life, Kathryn gave thanks for her eyelids. If they hadn’t been there, her eyeballs would have launched themselves from their sockets, flown across the porch, past his shoulders and landed somewhere in the snow in the front garden. She managed a garbled. “Stressed… Oh, just a bit.”

Before he could ask the inevitable question, ‘About what?’, Miral came to the rescue and started to cry. Hugely relieved and smiling apologetically, Kathryn was about to excuse herself when B’Elanna, like a bolt of lightning, appeared out of nowhere and, with a hasty hello to Chakotay, snaffled the baby from Kathryn’s arms and scooted back inside.

Kathryn wasn’t sure what to do now. She had no escape plan, no excuses and his hand was burning a hole in her shoulder. Unable to tolerate his touch any longer, she lifted his hand away from her. “Please don’t.”

He looked shattered. “I’m sorry, Kathryn. I didn’t mean to offend, you just seemed upset.”

“Upset? No, no, not at all. Why would I be upset? I’m fine. Really, perfectly fine. Fine and dandy.”

As she babbled his eyebrows rose steadily. “Can I do anything to help? It’s been a strange few days.”

Kathryn slumped against the wooden seatback and crossed her arms protectively across her middle. “Strange doesn’t quite touch the sides.”

“You too, huh?” With a sigh, he rested back into the seat beside her.

She forgot for a moment that she was angry and disappointed in him, and that he’d broken her heart by falling in love with Seven. This was so wonderfully familiar and they’d had these conversations so often over the years that it was easy to fall back into the comfortable camaraderie. Kathryn knew she could tell him how she felt and that he’d understand. “It’s like an alien world but recognizable. Everything’s the same as it was when we left but then it’s not. _I’m_ not.” She shook her head in frustration. “I don’t seem to fit in anymore. I’m tense all the time as if I’m waiting for the red alert to sound. I can’t stand the quiet but I get lost in the crowds.”

“I know exactly what you mean. I’m feeling the same.”

Kathryn moved closer to him, relieved at last to find someone who knew how she felt. Her voice became softer as she mused. “I miss the steady thrum of Voyager’s engines, the drone of the air recyclers and knowing that they’re all there – all the crew, moving about the ship, going about their duties, the whole thing working like a well oiled machine. I miss the security of knowing that I can trust each and everyone of those people with my life.” Kathryn could feel the sting of tears and blinked frantically to stop them from pooling and tipping over her lashes. She swallowed hard, past the painful lump in her throat and the tightness in her chest.

She tried not to, but couldn’t stop herself from glancing in his direction. His eyes were misty as well, which didn’t help at all. Then he spoke and she almost lost control completely.

“I know, Kathryn. As strange as it sounds, it was safe. We felt secure and this is all so different and unknown.” He leaned forward, his elbows on his thighs, his hands clasped loosely between his knees. “I find myself sitting and staring, wondering what everyone is doing, where they are, if they’re happy to be home or like me, missing Voyager and our life there. Most of all, I miss sitting beside you everyday on the Bridge. I’m so used to having you by my side that I find myself turning towards you to say something and being surprised to find myself alone.” He shook his head and whispered sadly. “I don’t like it at all.”

Those damned tears had a will of their own and Kathryn cursed them as they spilled down her cheeks. Then, much to her shamed delight, his hand, the same warm hand that had tortured her shoulder only moments earlier, rose and gently wiped them from her face. His kindness was her undoing. Her lips wobbled and before she could stop herself, she sobbed. Chakotay moved to take her in his arms, his face crumpling in sympathy and his arms opening wide but then she remembered everything and slamming her hand over her mouth, she bolted from the seat, through the fizzle of the forcefield and out into the snow.

In hindsight, it wasn’t a terribly smart thing to do. It was below freezing and she was wearing only a light sweater, cotton pants and sneakers. In her panic to escape though, her wardrobe had been the last thing on her mind. Swiping angrily at her tears, she stifled the sobs, anger overtaking the sorrow. Damn him. Damn him for being him. Damn him for caring. Damn him for falling out of love with her and damn her for being so stupid and letting it happen. She trudged onward through the snow, her feet and lower legs getting wetter and colder by the minute as her inner monologue cursed the universe and damned her for so carelessly taking for granted what she’d had for all those years; for not living in the moment. She’d been so busy looking towards home and the future that she’d forgotten to look around her and appreciate what she had in the here and now. Well, she’d paid dearly for her inattention and there was no one else to blame but herself. Busily berating herself, she took one icy step after the other, unaware of how far she’d travelled.

It was only when she was a good kilometre from the house that she realised she might be in trouble. It was starting to snow and she was cold; very cold. Her anger had kept her warm up to a point, but it was long past and she was at real risk of hypothermia. That would be just typical, Kathryn thought wryly. She makes it all the way back from the Delta Quadrant, seventy thousand light-years, battling every grisly and misbegotten alien imaginable, only to freeze to death a matter of feet from her front doorstep. The universe had a bitch of a sense of humour. She was about to turn and begin the chilly trudge back to the house when she heard the crunching squeak of footsteps in the snow and cursed the universe again.

Taking a deep breath, Kathryn readied herself to snipe at her rescuer but she didn’t get the chance.

“You might need this.”

Her warm jacket was draped around her shoulders from behind and she reluctantly shrugged it on. Without a word, Chakotay moved in front of her and wrapped a scarf around her neck, holding the ends of it for a few breathless seconds while he studied her face. Ashamed, and feeling exposed, she averted her eyes. Suddenly, he was all business, clipping her jacket zip together and pulling it up almost to her chin. Reaching behind her, he flicked her hood over her head and then pulled a pair of gloves from his pocket and handed them to her. Kathryn tugged them on and then wrapped her arms around herself, tucking her hands under her arms to warm them. So far, she’d avoided his eyes, but she couldn’t any longer.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. We should get back.” He turned and began walking back towards the house.

She watched him walk away, her heart aching. “I’m sorry. I would have come back.”

His shoulders slumped and he turned back towards her slowly. “I’m sure you would have but I suppose this is just a bad habit that I’ll have to break.”

“What is?”

“Saving you from yourself.”

Kathryn nodded sadly. “I know but I wish it could be different.”

“So do I, Kathryn. You have no idea how much.”

She hung her head as he began to walk away again and then she realised what he’d said. Her head snapped up. “Hey, wait a minute. What do you wish could be different?” Finding it almost impossible to run in the knee-deep snow, she began flinging her legs sideways from the knees – Charleston-like – trying to catch up to him before he got to the house. “Chakotay, wait! Please.”

He stopped but didn’t turn. Kathryn grabbed his arm, swung herself in front of him and, panting, asked him again. “What do you wish could be different?”

She was exhausted after that mad dash through the snow, her knees didn’t feel all that grand either but she ignored the pain and shoved her hood back, staring at him while she waited for him to answer.

“You really want to know? You’re not armed are you?”

“No.Why?”

“Merely taking precautions. You can be a bit erratic with your reactions sometimes.”  


“I am not.”

“Kathryn, you ran out into the freezing snow rather than accept a comforting hug from a friend. If that’s not a bit erratic I don’t know what is.”

“It wasn’t the hug from a friend that I was avoiding.”

“But you were avoiding something and it had to do with me. How do you think that makes me feel?”

“I’m sorry. I truly am but you still haven’t answered my question. What do you wish could be different?”

“Us.”

“Us?” She was sure she wasn’t being obtuse but by the look on his face, he didn’t agree. “How can we be different?”

“Oh, for pity’s sake, Kathryn, I’m in love with you. I have been for years and to be honest, I thought you were in love with me too. I assumed that once we were home, we could look at formalising the arrangement and make a life for ourselves here.”

“You’re proposing?”

“No. I was going to propose, if you still loved me and wanted to be together but I obviously miscalculated so … that’s it.”

“I accept.”

“What?”

“I accept your proposal.”

“I just said that I wasn’t proposing.”

“But you did. It was a sort of proposal…an intended one. You said that you thought we should look at formalising our arrangement and make a life for ourselves here.” She took a deep breath. “I accept.”

Chakotay just stared at her. Speechless.

“Oh, and I love you. I mean, I still love you. I have all along and that was why I was so… erratic.” Kathryn frowned. “Does this mean you’re not with Seven?”

His eyes widened in shock and Kathryn once again gave thanks for eyelids. He sputtered. “Seven? What the hell are you talking about?”

“It was the Admiral.”

“What?”

“You married her, in the other timeline.”

“The Admiral?”

“No, Seven. The Admiral told me.”

Kathryn rested her hand on his chest, directly over his heart. “You and Seven were together in the other timeline and that’s why the Admiral came back but something must have changed in this timeline… I wonder what?”

“I don’t know but whatever it was, I’m glad.” He looked at Kathryn closely. “So, that’s why you’ve been avoiding me. You thought that Seven and I…” He shuddered. “It doesn’t bear thinking about or make any sense. My last Borg ‘girlfriend’ partially assimilated me and turned me into an automaton… I wouldn’t go there again.”

“I’m pleased.”

“I’m pleased you’re pleased.” Chakotay smiled broadly. “So you’re going to marry me?”

Kathryn nodded. “Uh huh and sooner rather than later. I don’t have the best track record with fiancés.”

“You are an exasperating woman, Kathryn Janeway.”

“I know and I hate to tell you, I probably won’t get any less exasperating as I get older.” Kathryn draped her arms around his neck. “Speaking of exasperating, I still have to ask my mother about this lunch that everyone is invited to. It was her wasn’t it?”

“Yes. It was her.” Chakotay moved closer, his body almost flush with Kathryn’s as his hand stroked down her cheek again and slid into her hair, his fingers lightly massaging the back of her head. “She had an agenda.”

“You will learn that my mother _always_ has an agenda.”

His nuzzled her neck. “This was one I approved of though.” Glancing towards the house, he chuckled. “Should we put them out of their misery?”

Kathryn turned and smiled. She could just make out the silhouettes of her mother and partners in crime, standing at the living room window watching them. “We could start ripping off our clothes and really give them a run for their money. I wonder what they’d do.”

Chakotay guffawed and wrapped his arms around her. “Cheer us on, most likely but it’s a bit chilly. However, when we do start removing our clothes, I don’t want an audience, especially your mother.”

“Good thought. Knowing her, she’d probably want to give pointers.” Smiling, her lips met his in a gentle kiss, her arms stealing around his shoulders. She held his head to hers as the kiss deepened. Sighing as she pulled away, she nibbled at his luscious bottom lip for a moment before mumbling against his mouth, “I hate to ruin the moment but my feet are freezing and I’m not going to have any toes to speak of if we don’t get back to the house soon.”

He stepped back, his face wearing a worried frown. “We’d better go then.” And without a word of warning, he bent down, wrapped his arm around her thighs and hoisted her over his shoulder.

She screeched. “What the hell are you doing? Just because I said I’d marry you, doesn’t mean you can go all caveman on me. Put me down. Chakotay!”

“We’re nearly there and stop wriggling or I’ll drop you head first into the snow.”

They made it back to the stairs and he set her down, ignoring her disgruntled look.

Gretchen and the others met them on the front porch. No one said anything at first, just looked back and forth between the two. It was Seven who shattered the silence, spectacularly. “Was our covert mission a success? Captain, are you and the Commander now going to copulate? We could leave to give you some privacy.”

Tom burst out laughing; Harry turned Christmassy red again. B’Elanna grinned and winked at Kathryn. Gretchen just shook her head. The Doctor raised his hand about to begin one of his pontificating speeches but Kathryn stepped in to short circuit the deteriorating situation. It had been her forte in the Delta Quadrant, but it seemed she was off her game.

“Seven! Enough, all of you. We don’t need privacy.”

Seven looked unsure and confused. “Captain, I am flattered and gratified by your trust in us but I think privacy is imperative. I would prefer not to witness you and the Commander copulating.”

There was a moment of stunned silence before Gretchen took Seven’s arm and, patting it gently, led her into the house muttering as she went. “It’s all right dear; you’re not the only one.”

Choking back laughter, Tom opened his mouth to say something but thought better of it. B’Elanna grabbed his arm and dragged him through the door behind Gretchen.

Harry stuttered something incoherent and looked like he’d burst a blood vessel.

The Doctor raised his finger and managed to say, “On that note, Captain, a quick word about your contraceptive updates…” before a withering glare from Kathryn sent him scuttling after the others.

Gritting her teeth, she turned to Chakotay to find him smiling broadly, a ruddy blush creeping up his neck.

“What are you smiling about? I’m mortified.”

Chakotay laughed. “Think how Seven is going to feel when the others explain what she’s done. Just let me be there please when she apologises. That should be worth an admission ticket.”

Kathryn swatted him with the back of her hand, then smiled. “I think my mother is explaining… poor Seven might need some counselling after that.”

“Speaking of counselling, do you want to tell your mother that we’re getting married, or should I?”

Taking his hand, Kathryn stood on tiptoes and kissed him. “How about we tell her together – after I’ve found some dry clothes.”

“Need a hand?”

Kathryn glanced at him sideways. “I might.”

“Lead on.”

They walked past the doorway to the living room and saw their friends sitting in front of the fire, chatting and laughing. Kathryn smiled at Harry when he caught her eye.

She and Chakotay made it to the landing only to hear Seven say. _“Thank you, Mrs Janeway. I understand my error now and will apologise to the Captain and Commander immediately.”_

Harry spoke next. _“You’ll have to wait Seven, I just saw them go upstairs.”_

_“Oh, so they have decided to copulate in private. I am pleased for all our sakes.”_

Gretchen muttered. _“Amen to that.”_

Harry couldn’t speak properly. _“I don’t think… I’m sure… oh god no.”_

There was a rumble of laughter, then came Gretchen’s raised voice, directed at the stairwell. _“Well, whatever they’re doing, I hope they don’t take too long, lunch will be ready in an hour.”_

Looking at one another, Kathryn and Chakotay shrugged, grinned and then took the stairs two at a time, shedding their clothes as they went. It wouldn’t do to be late for Christmas lunch.

* * *

Silence reigned in the Janeway living room as Gretchen and her visitors listened to the thud of feet on the stairs and then the sound of an upstairs door slamming. Looking at one another and smiling they raised their glasses as Tom toasted. “To happy endings and Merry Christmas.”

A happy chorus followed. “To happy endings. Merry Christmas.”

_fin_


End file.
